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NLP set me free

I hadn’t even heard of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) three years ago and now I am an NLP Practitioner! NLP completely changed my life around – here’s my story.

Where it all started

Thirteen years ago I was a healthy, active woman working as a teacher and a make up artist. My hobbies included salsa dancing and performing in amateur musicals as a singer and dancer. When I had my son, I was the happiest person alive to become a mum for the first time. Shortly after his birth though, I began having dizzy spells. I also felt constantly fatigued with widespread pain. I had bad insomnia and other symptoms.

GPs told me it was normal to feel extra tired with a new born baby and gave me some sleeping tablets! A year later, I was prescribed tablets for the dizziness.

Diagnosis

I knew how I was feeling wasn’t ‘normal’ newborn baby tiredness! I tried acupuncture, as it had been recommended to me for insomnia and dizziness, but I still felt ill. The acupuncturist, however thought it may be fibromyalgia. So three years from the onset of my symptoms I saw a Rheumatologist and was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). He recommended Pilates and put me on more tablets, which didn’t work and then clashed with the dizziness medication.

How it affected my life

As the years went on, I had to start dropping out of shows and social functions. I could push through, but would then crash for a few days to a week and so the cycle went on.

Although having my son had triggered my condition, I had another baby. I wasn’t going to let my condition stop me and I had my beautiful daughter. I continued to struggle through life, pushing myself to do more than I was actually capable of, so everyone assumed I was fine. After all, Fibromyalgia and CFS are ‘invisible illnesses’, so I didn’t look ill, despite feeling in agony and fatigued the whole time.

I gave up on GPs and struggled on the best I could. I tried deep tissue massage and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which both helped a little. One GP told me I would always have Fibromyalgia, which I accepted and continued to cope as well as I could while getting progressively worse. I tried to live life to the extent my limitations would allow.

Things got worse

9 years later I had an operation that triggered my fibromyalgia and CFS symptoms to extreme levels. I was left unable walk for more than ten minutes, with sticks, due to extreme pain and fatigue and I could no longer push myself beyond my severely restricted limits. I struggled to look after my children and spent most of my days lying on the sofa unable to move.

I was desperate, on the verge of registering disabled, but I knew I had to try something before I gave in.

NLP Course

In 2016, I found a 4 day course that linked the body and mind, which was based on NLP. My aim when I went on the course was to at least get back to where I was before the operation. By the end of the course, I had greatly improved and learned lots of techniques to use on my many symptoms. Although I had new resources that allowed me once more to fight back, I still had Fibromyalgia and CFS.

I was told I would be cured within five months of the course. Five months came and went and I gradually got worse despite doing all the techniques.

A year after doing the course, I knew I had to try again. I had to become totally positive and believe I could go all the way.

I attended a further 2 day NLP life skills course and that kick started my journey to wellness once more. I still had Fibromyalgia and CFS, but I gained more techniques and shattered limiting beliefs and I started going to Zumba again! Yes, it wiped me out and I could only do 30% effort, but I was actually doing something I never thought I would do again. My belief I could fight this had come back again.

Getting out of my head

I had already decided that if I recovered, I would become an NLP practitioner. I hadn’t recovered, but I knew that this was my only route to a full recovery. Fate stepped in when I attended a course that included somatic re-patterning (movement) – I finally learnt how to get out of my head and into my body and how to live the present moment. That’s why my first course had only worked to a point, because I was still living in my head.

Over the three months of the course, I improved greatly and I metaphorically threw chronic illness out of the window on the last day of the course. I had finally recovered from Fibromyalgia and CFS! I had also shattered many limiting beliefs. I had become positive, calm and self confident. The living in my head had stopped.

Happy, healthy and living life to the full

I now had a choice! I could choose to be happy, healthy and live life to the full. Now I do Zumba with 100% effort and feel fine afterwards, 2 hours of 5 Rhythm dancing, Pilates and walking every week.

I also have lots of tools and techniques to cope with everything life throws at me. I am a completely new and improved version of myself.

Everybody tells me I look so much better now – clearly it wasn’t an invisible illness after all!

I am very thankful that my symptoms reached extreme levels because otherwise I would still be pushing through the pain and fatigue (and other symptoms) and I would not be helping other people in all areas of health and well being.

NLP has shown me there is always a solution or a way around the problem. I am living proof that you can recover from Fibromyalgia and CFS.

About NLP

NLP focuses on the positive and what you want. It was created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s. They discovered there was a connection between neurological processes (neuro), language (linguisitic) and behavioural patterns (programming). They realised that by modelling exceptional people, they could re programme the mind and it would allow anyone to gain and use these skills. It helps you to be in control of your thoughts.

NLP can help people with weight loss, to give up smoking, with anxiety, to reach their goals, as well as to recover from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and ME and much more. As a practitioner, I guide clients to find the answers and to become the best versions of themselves.

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